Honduras and Paraguay 'Moving Israeli Embassies to Jerusalem'

Paraguay and Honduras have become the latest Latin American nations to announce their intentions to follow the lead of the United States and relocate their embassies to Jerusalem.

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Officials from the two countries are set "in principle" on the relocations on the condition that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visits Paraguay and Honduras in an official capacity, a senior Israeli diplomat told the Times of Israel.   

In December, Honduras publicly announced its support for U.S. President Donald Trump's controversial decision to relocate the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem – a move which drew praise from U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley.

"That was not an easy decision for any country… but the people of Honduras stood with us in being able to make that decision for ourselves and decide where we want our embassy and to know that is our right," Haley said.

Washington is due to move the embassy on May 14: the 70th anniversary of Israeli independence, also known as the 'Palestine Catastrophe,' when approximately 760,000 Palestinians were driven from their homes by the occupying forces.

Last week, Guatemala's President Jimmy Morales reaffirmed his own plans to move the Guatemalan embassy to Jerusalem: "I'd like to thank President Trump for opening this path. His brave decision encouraged us to do the right thing.

"In May of this year, we will celebrate Israel's 70th anniversary and, under my instructions, two days after the United States will move its embassy, Guatemala will return and permanently move its embassy to Jerusalem."

The Palestinian Foreign Ministry responded by saying: "The state of Palestine considers this as a flagrant act of hostility against the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people and international law."

Czech Republic President Milos Zeman has also said he will make it a "top priority" to transfer his Israeli embassy to Jeruselum, although "the subject is not currently on the agenda."